Camille [DVD]

Wanted to tell you all about an upcoming flick, “Camille”, that I caught this week.

What a wacky, weird, absolutely over-the-top but darn sweet movie this is.

Sienna Miller (say what you will about the girl but every time she’s on screen she lights it up) and James Franco (this boy can do no wrong) team for one of the most unconventional romantic-comedies in recent years. It’s so off-beat and so strange that you’ll probably find most territories are unsure what to do with it – so dump it on DVD.

That’s unfortunate, because it’s a minor gem.

Directed by Gregory Mackenzie, the flick tells of a very unhappy ex-criminal, Silas (Franco) seemingly forced into marrying sweet but chatty Southern girl Camille (Miller). Camille’s uncle (Scott Glenn) is the local copper and he’s threatening to send back to the slammer if he doesn’t make his niece happy – and give her the wedding she so desires.

Still wearing the frown, Silas hits the road with his new bride – in a motorbike and side-car – for Niagara Falls, her dream Honeymoon spot.

Unfortunately, they get into an accident – – and she dies on impact.

A frantic Silas dashes for help. Upon returning to the accident scene – after scaring the local neighbours with his worrying “I killer her!” bellow – he discovers Camille seemingly alive-and-well, washing off the blood on her dress in a nearby stream.

As the hour’s progress and they get back on the road, Silas realizes something is a little off – Camille’s neck is playing up, she’s also a little stinky, and her hair is falling out. Yep, she’s dead.

Seems god has given her a couple of extra days to get her new husband in order – and teach him how to love.

Such a sweet film – as nutty as a lot of it is. It has somewhat of a “Beetlejuice” vibe about it, I guess. The script is a bit messy – I mean, we never actually truly understand why Silas is the unhappy son-of-a-bitch he is, and the reason for Camille sticking-around isn’t really explained that well – but as a leave-your-brain-at-the-door rom-com-with-coloured-horses, its recommended viewing.

Miller and Franco are great together. They’re joined by the always-dependable David Carradine, who gets to show a sweeter side that we don’t often see. He plays â€˜Cowboy Bob’, a traveling carnie who spends most of his time on the road with his (coloured) horses. He’s got one particular horse, an old blue-coloured one, which seems to be on its last legs. And of course, she’ll return for the film’s finale.

It’s not exactly a brilliant piece of filmmaking by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a good one. Imagine “Stardust” meeting “The Notebook” and together taking LSD and you get the picture.